Organize Your Time With A Family Calendar || The Tranquil Parent

Organize your time with a Family Calendar

By Savannah happier

December 19, 2008

Organize your time with a Family Calendar

Photo by Bill Roberson.

As parents it can be a real challenge to keep up with the busy schedules of every member of the family. Especially as kids get older, you might feel like everyone is going in a different direction!

I recommend creating a Family Calendar on a large (around 3 x 2 feet) whiteboard and posting it in a prominent place in the house. Having a visual reminder of the appointments and events for each member of the family can create more structure and accountability. And even if you just have young children, posting the schedules of both you and your partner can add ease when coordinating childcare, doctor’s appointments and family events.

Here are some tips for making your own Family Calendar:

On the top half of the board, draw a permanent grid in black marker to hold dates for two weeks. In the lower half of the board draw one section titled “Family Goals” and another titled “Notes.”

In the calendar section of the board, you can enter the upcoming dates in erasable marker. Assign a different erasable pen color for each family member and one for the family as a whole. Every other Sunday evening after dinner, ask family members for their upcoming events, dig through the kid’s school schedules and extracurricular activities, check your work calendar and put it all in one place! Be sure to include the times of the events to you can clarify any conflicts.

Hold a family meeting and compile goals to list in the “Family Goals” section of the board. (And stay tuned next week for a detailed post on creating family goals for the New Year!) To make sure you are successful with your goals, revisit Set yourself up for success with better goal setting. In our family, we have listed goals like: Raise the money to buy a new Mac Book Pro by Jan. 1st, Organize the basement and get rid of boxes by March 1st, Sign up Liam for Community Center Art Class by Feb. 15th.

For the “Notes” section of your board, create a system where family members can jot down a missed phone call, reminder or other request. Keep it current by erasing items when they are complete.

For our family, the Family Calendar has allowed us to feel like we are working together instead of vying for time apart. Every member’s needs are taken into consideration as we work to manage our time in a respectful way. This teaches important relationship skills to kids like teamwork and communication. It also makes it easier to track where your time is going and prioritize when you feel overwhelmed. And scheduling all-family events on the calendar helps you reserve time together, a precious gift!

How do you coordinate your own family’s scheduling needs?

Categories: activities, children's routines, errands, family, organizing, projects, simplicity, time management

4 comments | Comment on post

4 Comments

1. Monice [12/19/08]

We use Google calendar as our family calendar. Each person has their own color and then there is a separate color that means it is an all-family event. It works great and it is nice because people can access it from anywhere with a computer and cuts down on the need for people to carry written calendars with them. We use it to track childcare, appointments, work schedules and events and it is also a nice reference to have when talking with people about days that we need to hold far off into the future (weddings, trips, etc).

2. Savannah Mayfield [12/20/08]

Thanks for mentioning the Google calendar. I really like that one! I think that is a brilliant way to stay organized. One thing I do enjoy about having a physical calendar in the kitchen is that it is very visible and younger children can relate to it. Also, taking the time as a family every couple of weeks to wipe it clean and put in the dates creates an opportunity for communication. I think you could do the same thing with a computerized calendar if you set aside time every couple of weeks to talk about it as a family!

3. Kirstin [12/26/08]

This struck a cord for me: working together instead of vying for time apart

I often feel I spend more time vying for time than working together with my partner to make sure everyone’s needs are met.

Thanks for this article...it’s got me thinking about how a family calendar might help.

4. Lunchbox Obsessed [12/28/08]

I like the family calendar idea, particularly with the Google calendar. As a stay home Mom with 2 kids, I get most (all?) of the planning placed on my shoulders… with a computer geek husband maybe I can pull him into the responsibility by pushing the Google calendar idea. Thanks!